Alvarez Proposes Relocation of Malacañang and Gov't Offices to Negros

House Speaker Pantaleon Alvarez has proposed the relocation of Malacañang Palace and other government offices to Negros Island Region as part of President Rodrigo Duterte's adminstration plan to decongest Metro Manila.

Alvarez said in a radio interview that he is not in favor of transferring the Malacañang and state offices to the Clark Freeport zone in Angeles City since it is far from people coming from Visayas and Mindanao.

He added that it should be somewhere in between Bohol, Panay, Negros and Samar-Leyte provinces, noting that it should be accessible to everybody.

According to Alvarez, he prefers Negros island because there are vast areas that could accommodate Malacañang. However, he did not say where in Negros he would like to move the said offices.

Negros Island which is composed of the provinces of Negros Occidental and Negros Oriental was declared a separate region by former president Benigno "Noynoy" Aquino III in 2015 calling it as the Negros Island Region.

President Rodrigo Duterte is reportedly eyeing to abolish Negros Island Region since there were no funds intended for the newly created region in the proposed 2017 budget.

Clark Freeport Zone was the preferred relocation site due to its area and proximity to Metro Manila.